The search is on for any locals who appeared as film extras in North East-made Get Carter to join a special seventies celebration of the gangster classic which will see a plaque unveiled at the site of one of its most iconic scenes.

Organisers are urging anyone involved in the 1971 Michael Caine hit to get in touch ahead of a special screening to coincide with the installation of a commemorative plaque in the heart of Gateshead’s town centre redevelopment.

The plaque, in honour of the film which famously featured ordinary members of the public in its pub, club and street scenes, will mark the spot where Caine’s character Jack Carter memorably threw villain Cliff Brumby - played by Brian Mosley (Coronation Street’s Alf Roberts) - from the top of the multi-storey car park.

And, featuring an artistic image of it, it means there will now be a permanent reminder after the concrete structure - which became known as the Get Carter car park - was demolished in 2010 to make way for the Trinity Square revamp.

Its official unveiling on the morning of June 26 will be followed that evening by a VIP screening of the film at the adjacent Vue Cinema and organisers - the cinema, Trinity Square and Gateshead Council - are keen to invite anyone still around who played a part in the making of it.

Tony Pickering, centre manager at Trinity Square, said: “We want local people who were involved in the film to join these celebrations – sharing their memories with the new generation of Gateshead.”

“Although Gateshead and Trinity Square have come a long way since the filming of Get Carter, we feel that it is important to celebrate the region’s famous history and remember a film that put the North East on the map.

“Get Carter enjoyed international critical acclaim and has been recognised as one of the best British films of all time. We are extremely proud to say that it was made here.”

The celebrations, which will include a display of period cars, coincide with the 45 year anniversary of the book which inspired the film.

Ted Lewis’s 1969 novel Jack’s Return Home was itself inspired by a real murder in the region: the infamous one-arm bandit case, although the book was vague about location.

But first-time Mike Hodges, who read the book in the January of 1970, thought the areas around Newcastle and North Shields- which he recalled from his National Service days in the late 40s - would be perfect as the setting for the crime thriller he started shooting that July.

He used lots of local extras, many with wonderful character faces which added to the film’s realist feel in scenes such as the one set in Newcastle’s long-gone Long Bar opposite Newcastle Central Station where Carter, a London gangster arriving to avenge his brother’s death, heads to straight from the train. “All the people we used in the Long Bar were real customers,” said Hodges.

Filming, around back lanes, terraced houses, pubs and clubs, took just 40 days and by spring 1971 the gritty tale set in a world of corruption, drugs and murder was in the cinemas and a classic was born - along with a host of quotable lines which film buffs can reel off.

While fans had wanted to save architect Owen Luder’s car park, many other people were glad to see the Brutalist 1960s creation go. Hodges himself said of the demolition: “Rather sad actually – but then I didn’t live in Gateshead!”

Leader of Gateshead Council, Mick Henry, said: “The building itself was distinctive and did have its fans, both architecturally and for its role in the film. But, just like much of what Jack Carter saw in 1970s Tyneside, its time is now long gone.

“What we have in its place is a new town centre that’s getting better all the time. But it would be wrong to ignore how we got to this point and that’s why we wanted to make sure the location was marked long into future.”

He added: “Even just a couple of years ago, the idea that you’d be able to watch Get Carter in a state-of-the-art cinema on the site of the old car park would have been unthinkable to most. The transformation is one to be proud of.”

Any cast members, extras or others involved in the film who would like to attend the screening are asked to contact Gateshead Council on 0191 433 2018 or email prteam@gateshead.gov.uk

Win tickets to VIP screening of Get Carter

We have 25 free pairs of tickets to the exclusive VIP screening of Get Carter to give away to our readers.

Just answer this question: what year did Get Carter hit the cinemas? and email your answer and details to kate@trumpetpublicrelations.com with ‘Get Carter’ in the subject box. The winning answers drawn at random will receive tickets to the film showing at Vue Cinema in Gateshead at 7pm on Thursday, June 26.

Usual Trinity Mirror rules apply

About Get Carter

Get Carter’s story of a hit-man up from London echoes the real-life plot of the 1967 one-armed bandit murder which director Mike Hodges had researched.

It took place at a time the city’s nightclub scene was being infiltrated by London gangsters. Two men – Dennis Stafford and Michael Luvaglio – were convicted of killing business associate Angus Sibbett in Newcastle in a row over siphoning off cash from nightclub fruit machines. All three had moved up from the capital to work for Luvaglio’s brother, Vince Landa, who was carving out a fruit machine empire.

Landa’s one-time home was used in the film as that of Northern crime boss Kinnear, played by John Osborne whose fellow co-stars included Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland and our own Alun Armstrong, making his screen debut.